Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! - March 26th, 2023 - 5th Sunday of Lent - MQP Church in JLW Parish

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

----------------------------------------------------------------

5th Sunday of Lent

VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls you to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and become a missionary disciple....

 Homily MP3 version - PDF version 

What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version 

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

Our pastor, Francis McKee, is on vacation with his family in Ireland for 2 or 3 weeks. There was a complaint against him to the ombudsman concerning his use of authority. Who among us is perfect, never makes a mistake, is always calm, always welcomes with perfect listening? Still, no one can escape the demands of justice, truth, courtesy, and charity. So, there has to be an investigation to examine the facts. Let us pray for Francis McKee and for our parishes, so that the truth may come into the light of day.

I believe that it is also true that as a people, as a society, we have become impatient, intolerant, contemptuous, and critical. We refuse to love those who oppose us. It is no picnic to be a priest in our world and our Church today. And yet, to live and serve as a priest remains a great human and spiritual adventure. Jesus is risen from the dead, and soon we shall walk with Him in his passion, the great gift of his life out of love for us and for all of humanity. Jesus is Lord, the Son of God, and He permits all these trials to fall on our heads. We must believe in Him and put all our trust in Him.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

Jesus wants to rescue us, but we must admit that we need to be rescued. “You shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.” The ways of the Lord our God are mysterious, but He does not want to save us without our participation. We need to desire the salvation which the Lord offers us. He has even given us this prayer inspired and written by the Psalmist some 3,000 years ago: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”  

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

At every moment, we are free to choose how to live our life: under the tyranny of the flesh or under the guidance of the Spirit. Will I remain a slave to my anger? To my appetites? To my sexual impulses? To my gluttony? To my fears or my jealousy? To my pride? At every moment, the Holy Spirit makes to surge within me his own divine power which we call grace and which gently invites me and gives me strength to walk in the steps of Jesus, following Him, by loving my neighbour and even my enemies.

Who are the enemies that Jesus calls me to love? With which person must I seek to be reconciled? Who is it that is doing me harm; so that I may pray for them? Which family member must I love better? Who is the stranger for whom I must pray?

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!” 

Jesus rescued the Samaritan woman from her despair just by chatting with her and by showing her his compassion and love, but He also questioned her and provoked her to tell all the truth about her upside down life. Jesus gave sight to the man born blind in order to save him but also to shake up the proud religious leaders who thought they were without sin and didn’t need to be saved by God. Today we see Jesus raise his friend Lazarus from death and the tomb. Jesus gives us plenty of reasons to believe in Him and put all our trust in Him.

What is the despair from which Jesus wants to rescue me? What sight does Jesus want to give me so that I may see more clearly? From out of which tomb does Jesus want to bring me?

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

It is still daylight, and the night has not yet swallowed us up. There is still time for us to be reconciled with God and with our neighbour, and also with Jesus’ Church. We still have priests ready to welcome us and to hear our confession; because they know full well that it is Jesus who meets the penitent who comes to confession. Take advantage of it while you still can. 

In a few moments, 3 young sisters will be baptized. God our Father will adopt them and their parents and godparents will help them to pay attention to God coming to live in their soul. It is because we are God’s children that we bring our offering to the altar of God. We offer ourselves: all that we carry within us, our reluctance to be holy, our distaste for being perfect; our hopes and our fears, our desires and our regrets, our sins and our repentance, and even our own will. Let us open wide our spirit to God; so that the Lord may do in us all that He desires to do: to lead, to forgive, to heal, to make us holy and perfect, and to give life. 

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!

I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!” 

“Mary Mother of God, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” 

In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to restore our sight to see the Light of God.

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com         https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com

 

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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

----------------------------------------------------------------

© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

+ + + + + + + + + + + +  

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! - March 26th, 2023 - 5th Sunday of Lent - The L.S.M. of C.A.M. at St. Willibrord Church, Verdun

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

----------------------------------------------------------------

  5th Sunday of Lent   

VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls us to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to become a missionary disciple.... 

 Homily MP3 version - PDF version 

Optional Spiritual Exercise: Sacred History Reflection on My Life 

What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version 

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!” 

Our pastor, Robert Assaly, has gone home to the Father’s house. He lived a full life, being married, had with his wife six children who are now adults and living their lives, and served a number of years as an Anglican priest before joining the Roman Catholic Church and being ordained as a R. C. priest. We were delighted to know him and receive his kind and generous service these past few years. May he rest in peace in the joy of the Father’s house.   

These are also difficult days because of the open line to the ombudsman. Already, a few priests have been suspended due to a variety of complaints. I believe that it is also true that as a people, as a society, we have become impatient, intolerant, contemptuous, and critical. We refuse to love those who oppose us. It is no picnic to be a priest in our world and our Church today. And yet, to live and serve as a priest remains a great human and spiritual adventure. Jesus is risen from the dead, and soon we shall walk with Him in his passion, the great gift of his life out of love for us and for all of humanity. Jesus is Lord, the Son of God, and He permits all these trials to fall on our heads. We must believe in Him and put all our trust in Him.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

Jesus wants to rescue us, but we must admit that we need to be rescued. “You shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.” The ways of the Lord our God are mysterious, but He does not want to save us without our participation. We need to desire the salvation which the Lord offers us. He has even given us this prayer inspired and written by the Psalmist some 3,000 years ago: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”  

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

At every moment, we are free to choose how to live our life: under the tyranny of the flesh or under the guidance of the Spirit. Will I remain a slave to my anger? To my appetites? To my sexual impulses? To my gluttony? To my fears or my jealousy? To my pride? At every moment, the Holy Spirit makes to surge within me his own divine power which we call grace and which gently invites me and gives me strength to walk in the steps of Jesus, following Him, by loving my neighbour and even my enemies. 

Who are the enemies that Jesus calls me to love? With which person must I seek to be reconciled? Who is it that is doing me harm; so that I may pray for them? Which family member must I love better? Who is the stranger for whom I must pray?

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!” 

Jesus rescued the Samaritan woman from her despair just by chatting with her and by showing her his compassion and love, but He also questioned her and provoked her to tell all the truth about her upside down life. Jesus gave sight to the man born blind in order to save him but also to shake up the proud religious leaders who thought they were without sin and didn’t need to be saved by God. Today we see Jesus raise his friend Lazarus from death and the tomb. Jesus gives us plenty of reasons to believe in Him and put all our trust in Him. 

What is the despair from which Jesus wants to rescue me? What sight does Jesus want to give me so that I may see more clearly? From out of which tomb does Jesus want to bring me?

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!” 

It is still daylight, and the night has not yet swallowed us up. There is still time for us to be reconciled with God and with our neighbour, and also with Jesus’ Church. We still have priests ready to welcome us and to hear our confession; because they know full well that it is Jesus who meets the penitent who comes to confession. Take advantage of it while you still can. 

In a few moments, we will bring our offering to the altar of God. We offer ourselves: all that we carry within us, our reluctance to be holy, our distaste for being perfect; our hopes and our fears, our desires and our regrets, our sins and our repentance, and even our own will. Let us open wide our spirit to God; so that the Lord may do in us all that He desires to do: to lead, to forgive, to heal, to make us holy and perfect, and to give life. 

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world!”

“Mary Mother of God, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to restore our sight to see the Light of God.

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com         https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com

----------------------------------------------------------------

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

----------------------------------------------------------------

© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

+ + + + + + + + + + + +  

Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them! - March 19th, 2023 - 4th Sunday of Lent - MQP Church in JLW Parish

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

----------------------------------------------------------------

4th Sunday of Lent

VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls you to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and become a missionary disciple....

 Homily MP3 version - PDF version 

What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version 

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!” 

“Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” David is the one God chose to precede Jesus who would come after him. Jesus came to pour out this same Spirit, the very Spirit of the Living God, upon every human person who wants to receive him. What we need is to desire to receive the Spirit of God, but we must also put no obstacle to block Him. 

“The Pharisees did not believe that he had been blind from birth and that now he could see.” These people who closed their hearts to Jesus were not men after God’s own heart like David was; they cultivated in themselves a contrary spirit. What then is the quality of my heart? Am I cultivating in myself a contrary spirit? Or do I desire to receive the Spirit of God so that He might renew in me a spirit after God’s own heart? 

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!” 

These days, we are full of challenges. Our pastor, Francis McKee, had to leave us for an indeterminate period of time. We are left full of questions. In our lives and in our families as well – at work as well as in school – we face plenty of challenges and trials. Is God punishing us? “Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” That is the truth we must live out in our lives. Evil never comes from God but from the enemy; however, God permits evil so that the trial may purify our heart; so that our struggle against evil may remove the obstacles to God’s love and his Spirit and make us stronger; so that God might manifest his power to save. 

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!” 

What evil am I doing in secret? God warns that “everything shameful exposed by the light becomes visible”. We must take care not to cultivate within us a contrary spirit, not to resist God’s call to conversion. We are free to desire the grace the Spirit of God wants to pour into us and bring us to repent, turn away from all evil, and turn our face, our mind, our heart to Jesus. 

What is the good word to be said? What is the right thing to do? What is the good deed to put into action? With which person must I seek to be reconciled? Who is it that is doing me harm; so that I may pray for them? Who is the enemy that Jesus commands me to love; so that I might be a daughter, a son of God, and resemble Him?

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!”

When Jesus gave his disciples authority and power to forgive, it was to inaugurate the kingdom of God, God who is merciful and never refuses to forgive the one who repents and asks for forgiveness. If we inherit from Jesus the Sacrament of Reconciliation, of Penance, called Confession, it’s to restore our own ability and willingness to forgive, to free from their chains those we retain by our anger, vengeance, or bitterness. Break the chains! Open the prisons! Free the captives! 

As long as we still have priests, let us not waste the opportunity to confess our sins before the priest, to meet Jesus Himself through the priest. Let us allow God the Father to restore our capacity and willingness to forgive, to free the captives, to restore their sight to the blind!

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!” 

One day, perhaps there will be no more priests… if the men Jesus is calling do not put aside their fear in order to put their trust in the Lord and answer his call. Every priest is a sinner like all of us, and every day he needs our prayers, our love, our forgiveness. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to forgive. 

In a few moments, it will be time to place at the altar our offering to God. It is ourselves that we offer: all that we carry within us, our reluctance to be holy, our distaste for being perfect; our hopes and our fears, our desires and our regrets, our sins and our repentance, and even our own will. Let us open wide our spirit to God; so that the Lord may do in us all that He desires to do: to lead, to forgive, to heal, to make us holy and perfect, and to give life. 

“Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them!” 

“Mary Mother of God, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to restore our sight to see the Light of God.

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com         https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com

 

----------------------------------------------------------------

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

----------------------------------------------------------------

© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

+ + + + + + + + + + + +  

Jesus calls us to be perfect and holy - how is this possible? The key is authentic love. - February 19th, 2023 - 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time - The L.S.M. of C.A.M. at St. Willibrord Church, Verdun

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

----------------------------------------------------------------

  7th Sunday in Ordinary Time  

VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls us to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to become a missionary disciple.... 

 Homily MP3 version - PDF version 

Optional Spiritual Exercise: Sacred History Reflection on My Life 

What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version 

“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!”

Sisters! Brothers! Good evening. Here we are at the end of the Lord’s Day. Our Lord Jesus does not beat around the bush tonight – he says to us: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Through Moses, the Word of God addressed all the congregation of the children of Israel in similar terms: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

The Lord is merciful, too; so, we don’t have to strain our brains to figure out what his word means. We are not to hate anyone of our kin; we are to reprove our neighbour. We are not to take vengeance or bear a grudge, and we are to love our neighbour as ourself. Jesus will have us imitate Him in his attitude as the Lamb of God. We are not to fight or resist those who impose on us but, on the contrary, we are to be generous and go beyond what is demanded of us. We are even to “love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us”.

“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!”

There is no denying that it is very difficult for us, and even seems impossible at times, for us to follow in the steps of Jesus. Consider the challenge for Fr. Robert Clark to accept to endure his sudden illness and find himself on a hospital bed for weeks, or Fr. Robert Assaly, who has recently shared with his parishioners the news of his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Their attitude of trust in the Lord is from a human point of view astonishing, but from a faith point of view; both of these younger priests are an inspiring example for us. For those who know him, so is the layman Stephen Sims, who is currently in the palliative care unit of Lachine Hospital. 

We who are here to worship our God on the Lord’s Day believe that our Creator God is merciful and loves us, and that the Most Holy Trinity want us to enjoy forever their company with all the angels and saints in the Father’s House, in Heaven. Isn’t it ironic or even strange that none of us are in a hurry to come to the end of our lives? No matter what difficulties are ours in this life, we seem to be quite content to remain here on Earth for as long as possible. This is natural, given the beauty of God’s Creation and the wonder and value of life itself.

“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!” 

Isn’t it strange, then, although we value life a great deal for ourselves, that under certain circumstances, we deprive others of this same value of life. If it is inconvenient to find ourselves pregnant, so many people around the world become willing to kill that innocent life which is unable to speak for itself and say to us in no uncertain terms: “Please, let me live!” All too often, the pregnant woman is abandoned to her own resources by the man. Where is that man? Why is he unwilling to take responsibility for his part in giving life to a new human being?

“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!” 

Consider the challenge of being married and our reluctance to accept the other as they are, our relentless impulse to control the other and reshape the other according to our own desires and expectations. Jesus has revealed to us the key to understanding why we allow ourselves to get caught in such traps and contradictions. The key is love, and that love drives out fear. If we do not live as children of God, if we are not holy as God is holy, if we are not perfect as God is perfect; it is simply because we are afraid and we give in to our fear, instead of trusting in God. 

“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!” 

The most heroic human beings who ever lived were afraid, but they refused to surrender to the fear. When it is easy to pray and we feel God’s love, that is not faith; we are simply being carried by God’s grace like a baby in its parent’s arms. When we feel alone or abandoned by God or it is hard to pray, activating our faith is simply deciding to pray anyway, to trust in God anyway, no matter what. That is faith. We are holy when it is difficult to love, but we love anyway. We are perfect when we have been hurt and it hurts to forgive, but we forgive anyway. This is foolishness in the eyes of the world, but this is the truth and wisdom of the Most Holy Trinity. God fills us with peace and joy when we walk in the ways of the Lord; when we listen and obey, when we give up our will and deliberately seek to know and to do the will of God.

In a few moments, it will be time to place at the altar our offering to God. It is ourselves that we offer: all that we carry within us, our reluctance to be holy, our distaste for being perfect; our hopes and our fears, our desires and our regrets, our sins and our repentance, and even our own will. Let us open wide our spirit to God; so that the Lord may do in us all that He desires to do: to lead, to forgive, to heal, to make us holy and perfect, and to give life.

“Whoever obeys the word of Christ, grows perfect in the love of God. Alleluia!” 

“Our Lady of Ville Marie, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. St. Brother André, pray for us. St. Kateri, pray for us. St. Willibrord & St. Thomas More... St. Marguerite Bourgeois & St. Marguerite d’Youville... All you holy women and men, pray for us. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to fill us with the Radiance of the Most Holy Trinity.

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com         https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com

© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC           © 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC

----------------------------------------------------------------

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

----------------------------------------------------------------

© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

+ + + + + + + + + + + +  

Jesus invites us to be real and honest with God and accept his friendship. - January 29th, 2023 - 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time - The L.S.M. of C.A.M. at St. Willibrord Church, Verdun

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

----------------------------------------------------------------

  4th Sunday in Ordinary Time  

VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls us to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to become a missionary disciple.... 

 Homily MP3 version - PDF Sacred History Reflection on My Life 

What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version 

A few afterthoughts from the homily....

The Word of the Lord speaks to us today a lot about humility... a virtue, attitude, perspective on life which we find everywhere in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. Have you ever thought much about humility? What does humility have to do with anything in your real life? What difference does it make, or can it make, in your family, home life, at school or at work, with your friends, out in society at large? Why does God insist so much on it?

This is simply because God's attitude from the beginning towards us human beings, and why He created us male and female to begin with, is that the Most Holy Trinity are forever offering us to enter into friendship with them. God is inviting us to enter into and to participate in the intimate life of the Most Holy Trinity, and to do so by way of friendship.

Friendship is a relationship based in complete freedom and it is always a gift which can never be demanded, bought or sold, or expected. To enter into friendship with anyone, we need to be honest with ourselves as well as with them. This is what humility is all about, accepting the truth about ourselves rather than living in an illusion of what we would like to be or how we would like others to see us. 

Jesus goes so far as to actually offer us to enter into partnership with Him - this is the meaning of the "gentle yoke" He offers us - He offers to be our "first reference" in our Marriage, family life, business enterprises, work or school, in all that we do. Imagine how different our life could be if we accept Jesus' offer and do nothing, make no decisions, without Him, without consulting Him in prayer first!

A humble person can of course improve themselves and grow; they simply refuse to entertain any illusions about their actual conditions and circumstances at any given moment. As we do admit our own truth to ourselves, we become aware of our shortcomings, our faults and failures, and our sins. Sins are the ways in which we shut God out or shut others out of our mind, heart, or soul. We sin whenever we enter into illusions of life rather than the reality of life, or when we try to grab for ourselves that which can only be given as gift. We sin when we refuse to accept the love of others, humans and God, or when we demand that they love us on our terms rather than in the freedom which is theirs.

----------------------------------------------------------------

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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The Lord calls us to surrender our will to his... his will is better. - December 18th, 2022 - 4th Sunday of Advent - The L.S.M. of C.A.M. at St. Willibrord Church, Verdun

   4th Sunday of Advent 

VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls us to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to become a missionary disciple.... 

 Homily MP3 version - PDF version 

What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version 

“May the Lord come in; He is the King of glory. Alleluia!”

Sisters! Brothers! Again, good evening. St. Joseph is our Father’s gift to us today, this 4^th Sunday of Advent. The testimony we receive in the Gospel is that St. Joseph was a righteous man. He was a good man, a holy man; who loved God and always wanted to do God’s will. It is not always easy to know what is God’s will or to do it, as we observe happened to St. Joseph; when he found out that Mary had become pregnant before they had begun to live together.

The Law required adulterers to be stoned to death. Any woman who became pregnant by a man not her husband or before marriage was an adulterer. As Joseph searched his religious tradition in order to know what God’s will was for him in this situation, the best he could see or understand was that he should withdraw from his engagement to marry Mary. However, Joseph did not think that Mary deserved to die; so, he decided to withdraw secretly from marrying her.

“May the Lord come in; He is the King of glory. Alleluia!”

Everyone knows that after a few months, it usually becomes obvious that a woman is pregnant. This automatically made a pregnant woman an adulteress if the man who joined with her was not her husband. What can often be unfair in these situations is that there is no external sign on the man who commits adultery. Jesus draws our attention to this disparity, even today, between the treatment of men’s sins and the treatment of women’s sins.

There is another disparity which causes us even more trouble: the disparity between our human will and the will of God. Even when we try to discern or interpret the will of God, what we want to do remains, basically, our will. The will of God remains, in itself, hidden within the Most Holy Trinity. We know that the will of God is manifest in nature, in the order, beauty, and purpose of Creation, but even then, in order to know with certainty what is the will of God; we need to ask God to confirm our discernment. St. Joseph thought the will of God was obvious in Mary’s pregnancy, but as it turned out, her pregnancy was the work of the Holy Spirit in Mary, and the will of God was for Joseph to go ahead and marry her anyway in spite of the Law.

“May the Lord come in; He is the King of glory. Alleluia!”

This need for discernment and for confirmation from God continues to be the way it is for us. We need to learn how to ask God to show us his will and to confirm our understanding of what is his will. If we don’t take this additional step; then, we are likely to misinterpret what is the will of God like Joseph did. We cannot expect God to give us signs in every circumstance like the dream He gave to Joseph. The normal way to ask God to show us his will and to confirm our interpretation of his will is through prayer and praying with Scripture.  

“May the Lord come in; He is the King of glory. Alleluia!”

God is greater than the Law. If we make no effort to know the will of God, when we pray the Lord’s Prayer; we are likely to distort the words and their meaning. Without even realizing it, we can end up praying like this: “MY kingdom come, MY will be done, in Heaven as I want it to be on Earth.” It is good to pray carefully and intentionally the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.” However, just saying the words over and over again isn’t enough. We need to take the extra step each day of looking for confirmation of our understanding of what the will of God is for us in the real circumstances of our lives.

“May the Lord come in; He is the King of glory. Alleluia!”

Christians have come to understand that the “highway” to always doing the will of God is to make it a common practice every day to surrender our will, to set aside what we want in order to make room for what others want – our spouse, our parents, our siblings; yes, and even our children and our enemies. The more we set aside what we want, the more likely we are to make room for the will of God. This Christian discipline is called mortification, or dying to oneself, or putting to death our own weak, narrow, limited, and selfish human will.

This sounds gruesome, but the Most Holy Trinity actually fill us with peace and joy when we walk in the ways of the Lord; when we deliberately seek to know and to do the will of God.

In a few moments, it will be time to place at the altar our offering to God. It is ourselves that we offer: all that we carry within us, our hopes and our fears, our desires and our regrets, our sins and our repentance, and even our own will. Let us open wide our spirit to God; so that the Lord may do in us all that He desires to do: to lead, to forgive, to heal, and to give life.

“May the Lord come in; He is the King of glory. Alleluia!”

“Our Lady of Ville Marie, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. St. Brother André, pray for us. St. Kateri, pray for us. All you holy women and men, pray for us. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to fill us with the Radiance of the Most Holy Trinity.

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com         https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com

 

© 2006-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC           © 2006-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC

Rejoice! Jesus comes to manifest his power as God in our poverty and weakness. - December 11th, 2022 - 3rd Sunday in Advent - The L.S.M. of C.A.M. at St. Willibrord Church, Verdun

  3rd Sunday in Advent 

VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls us to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to become a missionary disciple.... 

 Homily MP3 version - PDF version 

What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

Sisters! Brothers! Again, good evening. Have you ever thrown one spaghetti strand to the ceiling or wall in your kitchen to see whether it was done? They say that if it sticks; then, it’s ready. I may have tried that in my youth, but I didn’t like it; rather, I learned to bite into it and in this way, I developed a conviction about the precise moment when the pasta is “al dente”, which means, literally, “to the tooth”; that is, cooked but still firm, not soggy. There is no better conviction than that which comes through our own personal experience. This is the great lesson of life that we all come to learn as we journey through our youth towards adulthood.

For many centuries now, Christians – especially in the Western and Eastern traditions – rejoice on this day, the 3^rd Sunday in Advent, realizing that “the Lord is near”. Are we able to rejoice, simply on hearing someone say to us: “Rejoice!”? Anyone can, with effort, put on a happy face, but that is not the same as joy. In a similar way, nothing and no one can make us happy. Happiness is a wild thing that unpredictably drops in, unannounced, perhaps when certain conditions are right. Joy, on the other hand, is a gift from God, a heavenly attitude.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

Have you noticed recently any of God’s wondrous miracles? Don’t be too quick to say no. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.” These things happened too often to count during the 3 short years Jesus walked this Earth. Then, before his Ascension into Heaven, Jesus commissioned his disciples to “go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and to observe all that I have taught you.” Jesus assured them, and us, that He would manifest his power and glory through us and confirm the truth of our words with his deeds of power.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

If we haven’t seen manifestations of Jesus’ power to transform hard hearts, to reconcile enemies, to heal the sick, to give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and speech to the mute, or to make the lame walk; it is perhaps because we have not dared to ask, we have not risked making fools of ourselves by offering to pray with others, to gently lay hands on them in prayer.

Another possibility is that we have prayed in faith for others, but our eyes have been blind and our ears closed to notice the Lord acting with power in the lives of those for whom we have prayed. We pray, then walk away; we stop paying attention. Well, maybe it’s time to wake up!

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

“But Father, you’re a priest; we’re only lay people. We don’t have Holy Orders!” Ah, yes, but Jesus ordained only the 12 Apostles. All the other disciples were lay people. Jesus sent all of them, as he sends all of us, all of you, to go out and make disciples by telling people about Jesus, offering to pray with them, and calling on the Lord to show them that He is real.

People say: “I don’t need Confession. I confess my sins to God directly.” Wonderful! Do this often, but you also need to be reconciled. We are all connected in Christ. Every sin I do affects everyone. Every act of love, courage, service, or generosity that I fail to do darkens the sky over us all. Jesus is our Head. Jesus alone can restore our unity and peace, our solidarity in love, and our joy in the Father’s love. Jesus has chosen to offer this reconciliation through the ministry of his priests. When I offend the whole Body of Christ and God; only God’s chosen envoy can bring me back through reconciliation into the communion of the Most Holy Trinity.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

Jesus came for sinners. He wants to shine the Light of his truth to dispel the darkness deep within us. His Light is gentle, a divine Fire which burns away all that is sinful, bitter, impure, untrue, false, to make room for the love, peace, goodness, truth, and beauty which are in the Most Holy Trinity. One of the fruits God gives in a good Confession is heavenly JOY!

In a few moments, it will be time to place at the altar our offering to God. It is ourselves that we offer: all that we carry within us, our hopes and our fears, our desires and our regrets, and even our sins and our repentance. Let us open wide our spirit to God; so that He may do in us all that He desires to do: to forgive, to heal, and to give life.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Alleluia!”

“Mary Queen of Peace, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. St. Brother André, pray for us. St. Kateri, pray for us. All you holy women and men, pray for us. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to fill us with the blazing Light of God.

 

https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com         https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com

 

© 2006-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC           © 2006-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC